Recreating a crisp winters day in deepest Surrey with a light dusting of snow on the fields obviously requires a completely different kind of snow effect from a scene that calls for alpine vistas and deep drifts. It is rare that one single product will produce the desired effect, so we work with special effects directors and designers to get the right combination often using 6 or 7 different products. The length of time the snow is needed for, proximity to the camera, budget restrictions and the location will all play a big part in deciding which products to use.
Outdoor | |
SnowCel paper snow | |
 Band of Brothers - Woodland patrol  | Very stable and weatherproof. More expensive than SnowEx foam or C90, but cost effective when the set is used for more than a week. SnowCel is good for work on location in its chemical free form. Full size SnowCel is used for dressing and bulking up. Half size is used for detail and close up work, it will also make for an easier clear up. |
SnowEx foam | |
 101 Dalmatians | Fast to lay and very cheap, which is good for deeper snow and background dressing. It is not suitable for details on buildings, objects, or foreground action. Foam is self-clearing but cannot be used close to water and can cause temporary yellowing of foliage. Care must be exercised where it is used with animals. |
C90 | |
 Archangel - Roads | Fast to lay, easy to clear, eco-friendly, and relatively inexpensive. More stable than foam, it can be used for detail dressing and allows for advance dressing of large areas making it a good background white out. As it is a micro fine layer of white it registers as snow on roads, stone etc, but when in the foreground on textured detail such as grass or gravel it appears as frost or very light snow. |
Terram | |
.jpg) Terram cover 1  | Synthetic sheet than comes in wide rolls and is a quick and easy alternative to white out large background areas. It can also be used as a protective base on sensitive sites and is simply rolled up at the end of the day |
Indoor | |
SnowCel Paper Snow | |
 Band of Brothers - SnowCel under foot | Comes in a number of different varieties and we have developed a Class 1 fire resistant version especially for indoor/studio work. Full size is used for bulk and deep snow. Half size can be used to create a range of effects and works very well in extreme close up. |
Plastic Snows / Display Snow | |
| Available in a variety of flake sizes to give varied texture they can be used to create deep drifts and impressively realistic snow cover. Fine snows will allow extreme close up and detail. They suit small scale studio work and are often used as a final dressing to give other products a little lift or sparkle. | |
Polymer | |
Is a form of a dry powder that when mixed with water expands up to 40 times its original size. Most polymer snows create a more ice like, stickier substance. Snow Business polymer snow is much more snow-like and has been designed to simulate free flowing high altitude powder snow. It is normally used as a top dressing over SnowCel to improve footprint detail and more realistic ‘pick up’ on clothing in extreme close up shots. It is also an ideal material for ‘pack shots’ as it can be mixed in a variety of ways to create different effects. | |
